Happenings of the Chabad Lubavitch אנ"ש community of Rockland County, New York

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Parsha Perspective

By Rabbi
Yisroel Shusterman

This
week’s Parsha Perspective is dedicated by Mr. Binyomin Philipson

in memory
of his late mother Mrs. Ellen (Elka bas Zisel) Philipson OBM

In this week’s Torah portion of Vayeitzei (Bereishis 28:10-32:3), we
read the story of Jacob's dream and the famous ladder with its feet on the
ground and head in the heavens. "And behold the angels of G-d were
ascending and descending on it."

Let me ask you what
they might call in Yiddish, a klotz kashe (simplistic question).
Do angels need a ladder? Everyone knows angels have wings, not feet. So, if you
have wings, why would you need a ladder?

There is a beautiful
message here.

In climbing
heavenward one does not necessarily need wings. Dispense with the dramatic.
There is a ladder, a spiritual route clearly mapped out for us; a route that
needs to be traversed step-by-step, one rung at a time. The pathway to Heaven
is gradual, methodical and eminently manageable.

Many people are
discouraged from even beginning a spiritual journey because they think it needs
that huge leap of faith. They cannot see themselves reaching a degree of
religious commitment which to them seems otherworldly. And yet, with the
gradual step-by-step approach, one finds that the journey can be embarked upon
and that the destination aspired to is actually not in outer space.

A fellow walks into
a rabbi’s office, saying, "Rabbi, I want to become 'frum' (fully
observant), - now tell me what I must do?” - Now, isn’t that a rabbi’s
dream come true for a congregant? Never!

Why not? Because a
commitment like that is often here today and gone tomorrow. Like the
popular saying, "Easy come, easy go." The correct and most successful
method of achieving our Jewish objectives is the slow and steady approach.
Gradual, yet consistent. As soon as one has become comfortable with one
mitzvah, it is time to start on the next, and so on and so forth.

A teacher once asked
the following question: "If two people are on a ladder, one at the top and
one on the bottom, who is higher?" The class thought it was a pretty dumb
question -- until the wise teacher explained that they were not really capable
of judging who was higher or lower until they first ascertained in which
direction each was headed.

If the fellow on top
was going down, but the guy on the bottom was going up, then conceptually, the
one on the bottom was actually higher.

And so my friends,
it doesn't really matter what your starting point is or where you are at on the
ladder of religious life. As long as you are moving in the right direction, as
long as you are going up, you will, please G-d, succeed in climbing the
heavenly heights.